How do you feel about another general election? Join our live look at the week

How do you feel about another general election? Join our live look at the week

2017-04-21 11:20:11 UTC

2017-04-21 11:55:06 UTC
(35 minutes later)

12.55pm BST

12:55

'This was an election she did not need to call'

Anne Perkins

On Tuesday morning Theresa May ambushed the country by announcing a general election. The statement she made in Downing Street laid the foundation for a campaign framed by the idea that it would be an act of self harm to vote for anyone except the Tories. Stripped down, it said “make me strong forever by destroying the opposition who are useless incompetent failures (Labour, Lib Dems) or malevolent string pullers (the SNP)”.

This was an election she did not need to call. She has called it because it is very likely to reinstall her in No 10 for long enough for the really nightmarish cuts that are already penalising larger families, anyone who finds themselves homeless in London or most other major cities, anyone looking for work, and most families with school-age children to have become normalised. So, she must hope, will the economic consequences of a decade of austerity and the shock of Brexit. That is why it struck me at the time as a kind of democratic coup. It may not be illegal but who would question that she’s seizing power?

12.48pm BST

12:48

Here’s a perspective from outside the UK:

I feel completely indifferent because I've lived abroad for 16 years and don´t get a vote, despite being promised one in the 2015 Conservative manifesto and again by Mrs May's constitution minister last October.I don´t think citizenship is necessarily the best criteria for granting voting rights. I believe permanent foreign residents in the UK who work and pay taxes should get a vote before I do, but that's never going to be permitted to happen. But if citizenship is the criteria, it should be applied fairly.

Are any other readers in a similar situation?

12.38pm BST

12:38

Poll: should Theresa May join televised debates?

Theresa May has said that she won’t appear in live televised debates in the run-up to the election on 8 June, with opposition MPs accusing her of running scared during PMQs on Wednesday.

As well as wondering your opinion on that (you can share yours in the comments) we have a poll asking whether it should be up to her in the first place. What do you think?

12.36pm BST

12:36

We’ll share some more of the conversation you’ve been having below the line again soon. First, though, we have a poll on one of the issues of the week so far – televised debates.

12.19pm BST

12.19pm BST

12:19

12:19

Here are some of your thoughts so far:

Here are some of your thoughts so far:

How do you feel about another general election?

How do you feel about another general election?

High risk, and a necessary distraction from real life! Hi everyone.

High risk, and a necessary distraction from real life! Hi everyone.

How do I feel about another election? Depressed because it seems to be a foregone conclusion that 'they' will get in again.

How do I feel about another election? Depressed because it seems to be a foregone conclusion that 'they' will get in again.

And an early election distraction ... One to watch?

And an early election distraction ... One to watch?

The big election story so far, which I don't believe the Guardian have covered as of yet, is that a man naming himself Mr Fish Finger, dressed up as a giant fish finger, is standing against Tim Farron.

The big election story so far, which I don't believe the Guardian have covered as of yet, is that a man naming himself Mr Fish Finger, dressed up as a giant fish finger, is standing against Tim Farron.

Politicians usually like to brief favoured journalists and newspapers ahead of key announcements, so it isn’t that often that the entire political media is taken by surprise. But that happened this week, as Theresa May made the surprise announcement of a snap election. We’ve struggled in the office to talk about anything else since.

Politicians usually like to brief favoured journalists and newspapers ahead of key announcements, so it isn’t that often that the entire political media is taken by surprise. But that happened this week, as Theresa May made the surprise announcement of a snap election. We’ve struggled in the office to talk about anything else since.

From the polls you might think it is going to be a foregone conclusion. But it is an important one for the country. A Conservative victory will be treated as an endorsement of whatever kind of exit from the European Union Theresa May manages to obtain. And it also means that her government will have extra breathing space after the day of Brexit before needing to go to the polls again. If the UK crashes out of the EU badly in March 2019, May will have until June 2022 to turn things back around. It’s an election that we didn’t need, and as David Robjant wrote to our letters page:

From the polls you might think it is going to be a foregone conclusion. But it is an important one for the country. A Conservative victory will be treated as an endorsement of whatever kind of exit from the European Union Theresa May manages to obtain. And it also means that her government will have extra breathing space after the day of Brexit before needing to go to the polls again. If the UK crashes out of the EU badly in March 2019, May will have until June 2022 to turn things back around. It’s an election that we didn’t need, and as David Robjant wrote to our letters page:

A woman who always keeps her promises has called an election she promised not to, in order to obtain a mandate she says she already has, for a policy she said was a bad idea.

A woman who always keeps her promises has called an election she promised not to, in order to obtain a mandate she says she already has, for a policy she said was a bad idea.

Jeremy Corbyn, and whether the PLP will be whole-heartedly supporting him, will be under intense scrutiny. The attacks on him from the Conservatives and right-wing elements of the press will only intensify. But he’s also repeatedly demonstrated he is much more effective on the campaign trail than many judge him to be in Westminster - witness his two victories in Labour leadership contests. He’ll be carrying a message that will definitely resonate with a section of the country. As my colleague Jessica Elgot put it: “Corbyn launches his campaign with attack on elites and establishment. May launched hers dropping into a golf club in a helicopter.”

Jeremy Corbyn, and whether the PLP will be whole-heartedly supporting him, will be under intense scrutiny. The attacks on him from the Conservatives and right-wing elements of the press will only intensify. But he’s also repeatedly demonstrated he is much more effective on the campaign trail than many judge him to be in Westminster - witness his two victories in Labour leadership contests. He’ll be carrying a message that will definitely resonate with a section of the country. As my colleague Jessica Elgot put it: “Corbyn launches his campaign with attack on elites and establishment. May launched hers dropping into a golf club in a helicopter.”

12.05pm BST

12.05pm BST

12:05

12:05

Welcome to our social

Welcome to our social

Sarah Marsh

Sarah Marsh

Hello everyone and welcome to our weekly social. Today we will tackle everything from the general election to some less serious and political subjects, such as The Simpsons. Join us below the line, and make your suggestions for what you want to cover from noon to 4.30pm BST today.

Hello everyone and welcome to our weekly social. Today we will tackle everything from the general election to some less serious and political subjects, such as The Simpsons. Join us below the line, and make your suggestions for what you want to cover from noon to 4.30pm BST today.